Merle Coggins

One more thought. On my truck, when I disassembled it, I found that the bracket on the frame that the "U" bolts to was loose. The rivets seemed to have loosened up and it allowed everything to move around. I ended up welding it solid. Before you put your radiator back in, maybe you want to wiggle things around and look for movement at that riveted piece.

The radiator should be bolted tight to the "U" bracket, which also supports the whole front clip. Is everything up there tight? I don't see how jacking up your truck could torque the radiator to make it leak. Merle

Of course classic cars are invited... I did post the same thread on the car side of this forum. Bill, you can include your friends too. The more, the merrier. And yes, spouses are considered included, otherwise I'd be in the dog house with my girlfriend.

Nothing but the best for my Pilot House friends. I prefer brats from Karl's Country Market. Karl is a good ol' German butcher who is constantly winning awards for his sausages. His brats often win state and national Cured Meat Association competitions. Some of his products even win international competitions. There are so many awards and plaques hanging around his little store that he's running out of room to hang them. Merle

That was part of my initial thought process, Ed. However, it's difficult to overlook Bill's offer. I was also hoping to hear some of our northwestern Indiana, or northern Illinois members chime in on this as well. So with that in mind, the areas that I originally thought about would be fairly close to the same distance from Minneapolis and Indianapolis. Nothing is set yet. I'm still gathering feedback and ideas. Merle

Yes, Bill is in Racine (south of Milwaukee). There are posts to this same thread over on the car side asking for something over towards Watertown (between Milwaukee and Madison). I'll still be on the lookout for a park, and keep Bill's offer as another viable option. Merle

Thanks Bill. You do have a nice big yard. If you are willing to host it at your house, I'll still buy the burgers & brats. Do you have a preference on dates? I'm starting to lean back to the late April, early May dates. I can see it now... A dozen or more vintage Mopar's lined up in your driveway and down the street... Merle

That's fine with me David, but you missed it by a year. The big Harley party was this summer. The idea of doing something around the POC meet was contingent on their schedule. I wouldn't want to interfere with any of their doings. It sounds like their event starts up on Wednesday and everyone heads for home on Sunday. So to schedule a party on the preceding Sunday would mean that those coming in for it would have to be here a few days early, adding more expense to their trip for the added day's stay. If that's the prefered dates I'll go with it. Otherwise I'll go back to late April or early May, before the summer gets too busy. I was kind of thinking of the Pewaukee, Hartland, or Delefield areas. I don't want it to be too difficult to find for those not familiar with the area, but a nice lake side park would be nice. I'll start looking around for nice park areas, I know there are plenty of lakes and parks around. Keep the feedback coming, and I'll keep woking on the details. Merle

ATTA BOY Dave! Lookin' Good! It feels good to take it out of the shop and drive it around, doesn't it. Your hard work and perseverance paid off. Merle

I wonder how long it took to dry out??????

"If you build it, they will come..."

for $12 and free shipping I'm tempted to order up a set just to see how close they are. They look similar and it never hurts to have spares. Merle

Is the POC thing just a weekend event, or does it start mid week and run through the weekend? I was thinking of planing it for the Sunday before the POC thing, but that would depend on what their schedule is. Merle

With the recent discussion regarding Tim's "Clements, CA Tailgate BBQ", the idea of holding a similar event in the Upper Midwest popped up. I will offer to host this event, but since I don't have the space to hold it at my home I will search for a nice park with a pavilion that we can reserve. Since I am in the Milwaukee area I'll probably look for something close to home, probably out on the western side of the Milwaukee Metro area. I will gladly provide brats and burgers to grill up, and I'll even bring along my grill. Then if everyone who attends brings a side dish or desert to share we'll have a nice little BBQ party of our own. My initial though was to hold it the same weekend as Tim's event out in California, but then I considered the possibility of doing something in conjunction with the POC meet coming to Oconomowoc next summer (June?). For those in this area, please provide your feedback and I'll use it to start organizing this thing. Merle

With the recent discussion regarding Tim's "Clements, CA Tailgate BBQ", the idea of holding a similar event in the Upper Midwest popped up. I will offer to host this event, but since I don't have the space to hold it at my home I will search for a nice park with a pavilion that we can reserve. Since I am in the Milwaukee area I'll probably look for something close to home, probably out on the western side of the Milwaukee Metro area. I will gladly provide brats and burgers to grill up, and I'll even bring along my grill. Then if everyone who attends brings a side dish or desert to share we'll have a nice little BBQ party of our own. My initial though was to hold it the same weekend as Tim's event out in California, but then I considered the possibility of doing something in conjunction with the POC meet coming to Oconomowoc next summer (June?). For those in this area, please provide your feedback and I'll use it to start organizing this thing. Merle

Nice Power Wagon. Is that an A-arm boom in the back of it? If so there must be a winch back there too. Merle

I tried something a couple years ago, but it didn't pan out. Maybe it's time to try again. I don't have the space to host something like that, but maybe I can find a local park with a nice pavilion... and bring along my grill for a cookout... Hmm. I think I'll start a new thread about this, rather than hijack this one. Merle

Let's see... if I were to drive my modern truck it would take a good 3 days each way. I don't know if I'd even want to abuse my body to that trip in the 'Ol Dodge, which would probably be at least 5 days each way to keep the pace more relaxed. The "1st Annual" party looked like a good time. I wish I were closer so that I could particapate. Merle

Actually scrap prices are WAY down right now. Prices are so low now that metal recycling yards are reporting very little "suspicious" or "stolen" materials now.

I've had good luck with citrus based paint stripper. I get it at my local True Value hardware store. I get the aerosol cans, spray it on, let it soak for 15 - 30 minutes, scrub a little if needed, and wash it off. It works quite well. Merle

What's the bead to bead width on the 15" car wheels? My 3/4 ton truck has 15" x 5 1/2" wheels with 5 on 5 pattern. I want to upgrade to discs up front, but then I'll need 5 on 4 1/2 wheels to match up to the new discs. Merle

I have teh Steele weatherstripping. It fit perfectly. My original was too far gone to tell what it was supposed to look like, but it was in two pieces just like what Steele provides. The Steele stuff fit into the same positions without trimming. Merle

Yes, it's probably parasitic friction that allows the tail shaft to spin with the trans in neutral and the clutch depressed. To find out for sure, try holding the tail shaft while you turn the engine, or try what Bob said. Merle

According to my parts manual, the 1/2 - 1 ton front shock studs are the same P/N's. But there is a P/N change between the '48-'50 and '51-'53 trucks. Let me know if I need to go after one of mine. Merle